Thread by @HindooHistory

Albuquerque Evening Citizen, 1907

"HINDUS SAID TO BE MENACE TO AMERICAN PEACE AND HEALTH"

"Recent Outbreaks Cause an Investigation Into Life and Habits of Orientals in Northwest States"

#HindooHistory #HindooPeril

"The outbreak against Hindu coolies at Bellingham, Wash. is only a forerunner of an agitation against another Asiatic peril which has been making itself felt more and more on the Pacific coast"

"At present there are probably less than 500 Hindus in California, but every ship from the orient brings more. They are of two classes: Mohammedans and the turbaned devotees of the native East Indian religions."

"The former are smaller, lighter in color and more intelligent than the latter. They adopt American dress. The turbaned Hindus are tall but slight and few of them have sufficient strength to do heavy work"

"Of half a hundred who secured work at the Judson iron works, near San Francisco, recently, but two remain. They found lighter work in the canneries and ranches."

"A visitor to one of the hovels inhabited by Hindoo coolies at 19 Hannah street and was almost overcome by the stench which greeted his nostrils. There were four small rooms in the house, the largest being about 12 by 14 feet."

"One only contained anything by the way of furniture and this was a mattress perched on boxes. The other rooms contained piles o frags, old clothes, brass pots of curious shapes and cooking utensils in an apparently hopeless tangle"

"In the front room sat two Hindu youths, squatting, one on each side of a large iron bowl in which they were kneading, first one and the other, a large lump of dark looking dough. One of the Hindus who spoke broken English, informed me it was for bread"

"Most of the occupants of the hut were half naked, but, when asked to pose for a picture, hurriedly stirred about in the messes on the floor of various rooms and produced their 'Sunday clothes.' One of these was the uniform of an Indian police officer"

"Everything smelled to heaven and all the windows were shut. The English-speaking Hindu was asked how many lived in the hut. 'Only 18 now,' he said, naively. 'Many go away to the country.'"

"Another Hindu lodging house found in the back yard of a saloon not far away. It was a cabin of two rooms, both dark, there being no place for ight to get in except through the glass partition of the front door. A score of Hindus made their home here."

"The people of the neighborhood are easily induced to tell you about the habits of these people. They buy no meat and are in the habit of purchasing over-ripe fruit or vegetables beginning to decay from dealers in the vicinity at reduced prices"

"They cook little, for scarcely any smoke arises from their chimneys/ One of the chief complaints against the Hindus is that their filthy habits make them a menace to the health of the coast."